There is provided a metal-coated Al bonding wire which can provide a sufficient bonding reliability of bonded parts of the bonding wire under a high temperature state where a semiconductor device using the metal-coated Al bonding wire is operated. The bonding wire includes a core wire of Al or Al alloy, and a coating layer of Ag, Au or an alloy containing them formed on the outer periphery of the core wire, and the bonding wire is characterized in that when measuring crystal orientations on a cross-section of the core wire in a direction perpendicular to a wire axis of the bonding wire, a crystal orientation <111> angled at 15 degrees or less to a wire longitudinal direction has a proportion of 30 to 90% among crystal orientations in the wire longitudinal direction. Preferably, the surface roughness of the wire is 2 μm or less in terms of Rz.

A microelectronic package includes a substrate having a first surface. A microelectronic element overlies the first surface. Electrically conductive elements are exposed at the first surface of the substrate, at least some of which are electrically connected to the microelectronic element. The package includes wire bonds having bases bonded to respective ones of the conductive elements and ends remote from the substrate and remote from the bases. The ends of the wire bonds are defined on tips of the wire bonds, and the wire bonds define respective first diameters between the bases and the tips thereof. The tips have at least one dimension that is smaller than the respective first diameters of the wire bonds. A dielectric encapsulation layer covers portions of the wire bonds, and unencapsulated portions of the wire bonds are defined by portions of the wire bonds, including the ends, are uncovered by the encapsulation layer.

A microelectronic package includes a substrate having a first surface. A microelectronic element overlies the first surface. Electrically conductive elements are exposed at the first surface of the substrate, at least some of which are electrically connected to the microelectronic element. The package includes wire bonds having bases bonded to respective ones of the conductive elements and ends remote from the substrate and remote from the bases. The ends of the wire bonds are defined on tips of the wire bonds, and the wire bonds define respective first diameters between the bases and the tips thereof. The tips have at least one dimension that is smaller than the respective first diameters of the wire bonds. A dielectric encapsulation layer covers portions of the wire bonds, and unencapsulated portions of the wire bonds are defined by portions of the wire bonds, including the ends, are uncovered by the encapsulation layer.

A semiconductor module includes: a first metal plate including a first mount part joined with a bottom-surface electrode of a first switching element, a second mount part joined with a positive-electrode terminal, and a first narrow part between the first and second mount parts and being narrower than a part jointing the first switching element to the first mount part and the positive-electrode terminal; a second metal plate being joined with a bottom-surface electrode of a second switching element, and connected to a top-surface electrode of the first switching element; a third metal plate including a sixth mount part joined with a negative-electrode terminal, a seventh mount part connected to a top-surface electrode of the second switching element, and being narrower than the negative-electrode terminal, and a second narrow part between the sixth and seventh mount parts; and a snubber circuit connecting the first and second narrow parts.

A semiconductor module includes: a first metal plate including a first mount part joined with a bottom-surface electrode of a first switching element, a second mount part joined with a positive-electrode terminal, and a first narrow part between the first and second mount parts and being narrower than a part jointing the first switching element to the first mount part and the positive-electrode terminal; a second metal plate being joined with a bottom-surface electrode of a second switching element, and connected to a top-surface electrode of the first switching element; a third metal plate including a sixth mount part joined with a negative-electrode terminal, a seventh mount part connected to a top-surface electrode of the second switching element, and being narrower than the negative-electrode terminal, and a second narrow part between the sixth and seventh mount parts; and a snubber circuit connecting the first and second narrow parts.

An electronic component package has an outer edge including a first side and a second side adjacent to each other. The electronic component package includes a first electronic component chip, a second electronic component chip provided at a distance from the first electronic component chip, one or more first terminals disposed along the first side, one or more second terminals disposed along the second side, and one or more first conductors. The one or more first conductors couple the one or more first terminals to the first electronic component chip, with the one or more first terminals being uncoupled to the second electronic component chip.

An electronic component package has an outer edge including a first side and a second side adjacent to each other. The electronic component package includes a first electronic component chip, a second electronic component chip provided at a distance from the first electronic component chip, one or more first terminals disposed along the first side, one or more second terminals disposed along the second side, and one or more first conductors. The one or more first conductors couple the one or more first terminals to the first electronic component chip, with the one or more first terminals being uncoupled to the second electronic component chip.

A semiconductor device includes a first die pad having a main surface, a second die pad having a second main surface, a first switching element connected to the first main surface, a second switching element connected to the second main surface, a first connecting member connecting the first main surface electrode of the first switching element to the second die pad, an encapsulation resin encapsulating the first switching element, the second switching element, the first die pad, the second die pad, and the first connecting member, and leads projecting out of one of the resin side surfaces of the encapsulation resin.

A semiconductor device includes a first die pad having a main surface, a second die pad having a second main surface, a first switching element connected to the first main surface, a second switching element connected to the second main surface, a first connecting member connecting the first main surface electrode of the first switching element to the second die pad, an encapsulation resin encapsulating the first switching element, the second switching element, the first die pad, the second die pad, and the first connecting member, and leads projecting out of one of the resin side surfaces of the encapsulation resin.

There is provided a novel Cu bonding wire that achieves a favorable FAB shape and achieve a favorable bond reliability of the 2nd bonding part even in a rigorous high-temperature environment. The bonding wire for semiconductor devices includes a core material of Cu or Cu alloy, and a coating layer having a total concentration of Pd and Ni of 90 atomic% or more formed on a surface of the core material. The bonding wire is characterized in that: in a concentration profile in a depth direction of the wire obtained by performing measurement using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) so that the number of measurement points in the depth direction is 50 or more for the coating layer, a thickness of the coating layer is 10 nm or more and 130 nm or less, an average value X is 0.2 or more and 35.0 or less where X is defined as an average value of a ratio of a Pd concentration C.sub.Pd (atomic%) to an Ni concentration C.sub.Ni (atomic%), C.sub.Pd/C.sub.Ni, for all measurement points in the coating layer, the total number of measurement points in the coating layer whose absolute deviation from the average value X is 0.3X or less is 50% or more relative to the total number of measurement points in the coating layer, and the bonding wire satisfies at least one of following conditions (i) and (ii): (i) a concentration of In relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 100 ppm by mass or less; and (ii) a concentration of Ag relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 500 ppm by mass or less.